Private Networks
Create isolated private networks for secure communication between your cloud instances.
Private Networks
Private networks allow your instances to communicate with each other over a dedicated, isolated network. Traffic stays within the datacenter — no internet routing, lower latency, and no bandwidth charges.
Overview
- Isolated: Private networks are completely separate from the public internet
- Free traffic: All private network traffic is free — no bandwidth charges
- Same-region: Instances in the same region can join the same private network
- Custom subnets: Define your own IP range (e.g., 10.0.0.0/16)
- Auto-assigned IPs: Private IPs are automatically assigned from your subnet
Creating a Private Network
- Go to your project → Networking
- Click Create Network
- Enter a name and IP range (default:
10.0.0.0/24) - Click Create
Attaching to Instances
During Creation
When creating a new instance, enable Private Network in the networking section and select your network from the dropdown.
After Creation
Navigate to your instance → Networking tab → Private Networks → Attach Network.
How It Works
Each instance attached to a private network gets:
- A second network interface (
net1) on the private bridge - An automatically assigned private IP from your subnet
- A gateway for inter-instance communication
Private network traffic between instances in the same region is always free and does not count toward your bandwidth allocation.
Use Cases
- Database servers: Keep your database on a private network, only accessible from your app servers
- Microservices: Service-to-service communication without exposing endpoints publicly
- Clusters: Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, or database clusters communicating over private IPs
Pricing
Private networks are free. You only pay for the instances attached to them.
Limitations
- Private networks are scoped to a single region
- Maximum 1 private network per instance (additional NICs coming soon)
- Subnet must be a valid private range (10.0.0.0/8, 172.16.0.0/12, or 192.168.0.0/16)
Next Steps
- Deploy a Cloud Compute instance to attach to your private network
- Review Network & Connectivity for bandwidth and peering details
- Configure Floating IPs for public-facing endpoints
- Learn about Security & Compliance for firewall rules